Received in Error
160 million euros! Minister Demands Return of COVID-19 Funds
Nearly 160 million euros in COVID-19 aid was wrongfully claimed. The Ministry of Finance discovered this while reviewing thousands of cases involving COVID-19 subsidies. Minister Markus Marterbauer (SPÖ) is now demanding the money back: “That’s only fair.”
Kronen Zeitung als bevorzugte Google-Quelle hinzufügen The COVID-19 crisis is long over; two years ago, the process of winding down COFAG—the agency established to manage the financial response—was initiated. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Finance submitted a report to Parliament on the status of the liquidation. The report shows that more than 11,700 audits of COVID-19 grants have been conducted so far, 2,400 of them in the past six months alone.
Funds Must Be Repaid
In the audits, which ran through the end of June 2026, the ministry determined that benefits totaling 158.8 million euros were received improperly. The Ministry of Finance is therefore filing claims for reimbursement.
Anyone who has received subsidies to which they were not entitled should expect to be required to repay them.
Finanzminister Markus Marterbauer (SPÖ)
Bild: APA/BARBARA GINDL
The audits focused on corporate groups. Of the 193 affected groups—comprising approximately 1,200 independent companies—105 had already been audited by June 2026. In the process, the tax authorities identified a total of approximately 45 million euros to be repaid. The audits are based on a decision by the Supreme Court (OGH) from April 2026, which confirmed the application of state aid caps on a group-wide basis.
Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer (SPÖ) defended the firm stance on recovering unjustified aid. “Those who received support in accordance with the guidelines are, of course, entitled to it. Those who received subsidies unjustly must expect to have them reclaimed. That is only fair.”
A total of nearly 47 billion paid out
The Federal COVID-19 Financing Agency (COFAG) was established in March 2020 and disbursed a total of 46.7 billion euros in aid. In the summer of 2024, the process of winding up the special-purpose entity was initiated; since then, the tax administration has been responsible for the liquidation. By law, the Ministry of Finance is required to report to Parliament every six months on the status of the liquidation and the results of the audits. Of the total 16,800 cases under review, the majority have already been processed.
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